GDC 2003: Eyes on Hulk

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By IGN Staff

Like most comic book character's gone video game, The Hulk hasn't had much luck landing in a good or even decent video game. Universal Interactive and developer Radical Entertainment hope to change all that with a game inspired by the upcoming movie simply titles Hulk.

Featuring the big green bad ass who's split personality and poor bedside manner have placed him in the spotlight of his own comic book for three decades, Hulk looks awesome. Though we weren't allowed to slip our mitts around a controller and play, the half hour of Hulk we watched put a smile on the face of two jaded IGN editors.

For anyone completely unaware of who or what the Hulk is, here's the quick and easy: Scientist Bruce Banner soaked up some gamma radiation (that's bad) and now when he gets angry or stressed turns into a big green beefcake of destruction. Banner's mission in life is to rid himself of this mega-sized curse.

The game begins by recreating one of the major scenes in the movie (don't worry, it doesn't spoil a thing). You've seen part of this from the movie trailer. Bruce Banner checks himself out in the mirror, sees the angry green form of his alter-ego, which promptly reaches out of the mirror and chokes him. Then the world turns green and the Hulkster bashes through a wall looking for something to crush. Not a bad way to get a game jump-started.

Though the initial scene recreates a piece of the movie, the rest of the game takes place after the events of the film. Bruce's quest to rid himself of his Hulk persona continues, but in his path stands overzealous General Ryker (as opposed to the comic book's Thunderbolt Ross) and Hulk's malevolent arch nemesis, the Leader.

Gameplay is split roughly 70%-30% between the Hulk and Bruce Banner. When controlling Banner, the game changes considerably. For the most part, you'll be trying to sneak into installations undetected, solve complex puzzles (far more than just pulling a lever here and there), and do your darnedest to keep from going green. While it may seem like having to play as Bruce Banner would slow the game down, the Banner levels we saw looked pretty cool and should offer a nice respite from the action-heavy Hulk scenes.

But Radical understands that no one buys a Hulk game so they can sit around playing as puny Banner. The majority of the 25 levels focus on the green behemoth, who quite easily fills up the screen. This mammoth dwarfs the majority of enemies, as he should, and leaves a path of destruction wherever he goes in the game.

Hulk can pick up any object in the game. Anything you see can be pick up, swung, thrown, or destroyed. Hulk's super-human strength is instantly demonstrated at the start of every level. Because you're certain to rip a pipe of a wall and start batting enemies left and right. Leap onto the ground and the pavement cracks, the earth shakes, and the sound booms.

Hulk comes equipped with over 40 moves, which are pretty easy to pull off. This is a straight out beat-em-up, but from what we've seen it falls perfectly in line with the ol' Hulkster. Along with an assortment of kicks and punches, the Hulk has several Gamma Moves.

When your rage meter fills (as more and more people attack you), Hulk will begin to glow green. In this berserker mode, the Hulk does extra damage and is nearly invulnerable. Plus you can whip off some classic Hulk super moves. We witnessed the tried-and-true thunderclap and the ground stomp shockwave, both signature moves of the jolly green Hulk. We'll have to wait to see more of Hulk's special goodies, but are promised there are several more.